Motto

آب حیات است عشق

"Love is the Water of Life"

- Jalāl al-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī

Introduction

The House of the Lotus is a 16th Century Safavid Persian house of courtesans. Our estates are located in Isfahan, under the rulership of Shah Abbas I. Our household is focused on the role of courtesans in the arts of Safavid Persia, and our courtesans include talented dancers, musicians, painters, calligraphers, and conversationalists. As we grow our household in the SCA, we want to be representative of a fully functioning Persian estate. As such, we are interested in recruiting not only courtesans, but also fighters, artists, craftspeople, and any others who want to explore this unique piece of history.

Our household is centered in the Crown Province of Ostgardr, but membership is not dependent on geography. We are an LGBTQ-friendly household.

Mission

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Our Story

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History

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Projects and Publications

Design Projects

Household Architecture Project: The Lotus House

IN PROGRESS. Led by The Honorable Lady Ajir Tsagaan, The House of the Lotus is embarking on a large-scale project to design our household estates, located in Isfahan, Persia, in the year 1599. The project will include a research paper, drawings and elevations, and a scale model.

Household Costuming Project: Coordinated Formal Safavid Persian Garb

IN PROGRESS. As a House of Courtesans, it is important that we carry ourselves with poise and dress impeccably. In order to present ourselves in our best light, we are designing, patterning, and constructing full formal Safavid Persian garb for each member of the household, in coordinating colors of silk, with metal-thread trim. Design and Patterning by Sayyida Laila al-Sanna' al-Andalusiyya, based on historic garments. Costume construction by Sayyid Jibril al-Ghazal. Hand finishing by Sayyida Laila al-Sanna' al-Andalusiyya.

Research Projects

Resource List: Courtesans in the Performing Arts

ON-GOING. Led by Sayyida Laila al-Sanna' al-Andalusiyya, we are building an anotated bibliography (with links) of resources pertaining to the role of courtesans in the performing arts before 1600, categorized by time period and culture.

Resource List: Eunuchs, LGBTQ People, and the Arab World

ON-GOING. Led by Sayyida Laila al-Sanna' al-Andalusiyya, we are building an anotated bibliography (with links) of resources pertaining to eunuchs and LGBTQ people in the Arab world, categorized by topic, time period, and culture.